Pendant sprinkler system



E. TYDEN 1,903,150

PENDANT SPRINKLER SYSTEM March 28, 1933.

Filed April 4, 19:52

Patented Mar. 1933 UNITEDI'ST'ATES Em TYDEN, OF HASTINGS, MICHIGAN PENDANT SPRINKLER SYSTEM Application med 1 m 4, 1932. Serial in. 602,988.

The purpose of this invention is to provide an improved form of water discharge head, commonly called sprinkler head, for a dry pipe fine extinguishing system, which shall avoid certain defects in, and objections to, the sprinkler heads of any of the forms now commonly employed, and which are so serious in the case of installations having the sprinkler heads mounted pendant with respect to m the system water delivery line through which they are supplied, as to ahnost bar such installations. 1

Such installations are most desirable in residential and merchandising apartments in which for avoiding unseemly appearance and unpleasant suggestion of fire hazard, the water delivery pipes of the system carrying the discharge heads are desirably extended in concealed position above the ceiling of the protected apartment,below the floor of the apartment above,- -with the discharge heads comprising a conduit element of suflicient.

- length to extend from the water pipe above the ceiling down through the ceiling, and carry exposed in the protected apartment only the discharge terminal with the customary spreader.

These defects and objections include the 9 following: ((1) Liability, after the system has been in operation and the water has been shut off, and the system drained preparatory to resetting, of water being pocketed where it is exposed to freezing, causing damage to the parts in which it is thus trapped and frozen, and/or preventing discharge when fire conditions subsequently require discharge. (b) Liability to accumulation and solidification of scale and sediment in places where its presence would interfere with the operation for opening the valve for admitting water to discharge heads, or otherwise preventing or impairing the discharge flow.. A further object of the invention is to provide a sprinkler head adaptedto wider spread of the water discharged under any given dis-' charge pressure and with any given flow capacity of the water pipe and discharge head, than the constructions in common use.

For accomplishing these objects, the invention consists .in the elements and features of construction shown and described, as indicated in'the claims. 2

Referring to the drawing: Figure 1 is a side elevation of a sprinkler head embodying this invention.

F1gure 2 is a section at the line 22 on Flgure 1, showing the structure mounted in the ceiling of the apartment protected.

F lgure 3 is a perspective view of a soft metal gasket shown at 18 inFigure 2.

Figure 4: is a perspective of a part provlded for a valve stem guide and stream deflector, shown at 24 in Figure 2. Figure 5 is a view similar to Figure 2 showmg theparts at. the position of water discharge with the sprinkler valve open. Figure 6 is a view similar to Figure 2, showing a modified form of the invention.

Figure 7 is a perspectiveview .of the sprinkler head valve of the form shown in Figure 6. I Referring to the drawing in detail: A system water pipe is shown at 10, having connected to it and thereby comprised in the pipe system a laterally pro ecting fitting, 11, having at the lower side an inwardly and thereby upwardly protruding hollow boss interiorly threaded for connection thereto of a pendant water discharge head indicated as to its entirety bani}, and comprising an upand-down exten g conduit element or pipe member, 12, which, at its lower end, is provided with a contracted terminal discharge nozzle, 13, interiorly screw-threaded for screwing ontothe conduit element, 12, and holding fixedly to the latter a stream deflector, 15, hereinafter particularly described.

At the upper end of the conduit element, 12, it is formed with an inturned flange, 14, providing a downwardly facing valveseat, 12, around a central inlet port, 12", and the sprinkler head valve, 18, is arranged to be seated upwardly at said valve seat by the valve stem element, 20, which is.show n with a spherical terminal, 20, for universal pivotal connecv tion with the valve, 18.

Desirably, for insurin perfect seal at the seating of the valve on its seat, the valve is furnished with a soft metal face member, 18.

on theupper side of the valve, suitably re tained by a marginal flange with which the valve body is formed, as seen at 18".

The valve stem element, 20, extends down through the conduit element, 12, axially thereof, protruding through the contracted nozzle terminal, as seen at 13, terminating in a pivotal engagement, as seen at 19, with the upper terminal of the upper member, 21, of a familiar form of toggle whose lower member, 22, is pivotally mounted as seen at 22, on the upper end of a sto and adjusting screw, 23, which is screwed t rough the loop of a yoke, 25, of familiar form and construction, integral with the terminal discharge nozzle, 13. Said loop carries rigidly and permanently secured to it at the lower side of the yoke loop a spreader disk, 15, of customary form and dimensions for encounter of the water stream or streams discharged from the nozzle terminal and dispersing the same in widespread spray according to the familiar operation of such water spreading devices.

The toggle member, 21, 22, constructed and arranged in the familiar manner of such devices with transversely projecting lever arms, 21" and 22, connected at their extremities by a fusible .link, 27, is also of familiar construction, viz., having its lapped members adapted to be released from each other by melting of the solder by which they are united when they are exposed to fire heat in the protected apartment. The construction of the spreader and toggle device for holding the valve normally seated and releasing it for being opened by water pressure in the system water line in the case of fire in the apartment will be recognized as familiar.

The conduit element, 12, is desirably, for serving one of the purposes of the present inventlon, of considerably greater interior diameter than necessary for delivering the quantity of water which the spreader head is adapted to deliver in spray; and the inlet port and valve,and particularly the valve,-are dimensioned relatively to the diameter of the conduit element flow passage,

so that the water stream passing the valve is rendered tubular, occupying an outer annular part of the cylindrical flow passage, until it arrives at the entrance to the contracted terminal discharge nozzle, 13. One purpose of thus relatively dimensioning the valve and flow passage is to facilitate co-operation with the features of the element 24, about to be described for a purpose which will be explained.

The element,24, beside constituting a guide for the valve stem, 20, is formed with oblique flanges, as seen at 24, at corresponding edges of the several circumferentially distributed flow apertures, 24", for parting the axially hollow or tubular stream which owes its tubular form to the relative dimensions'of the valve and flow passages, and deflecting at least an outer part of the stream into a spiral course, from which the tubular stream as a whole derives rotative movement which tends to render the delivery from the nozzle discharge centrifugal and thereb more wide spread than it would otherwise e.

Some part of the centrifugal discharge will avoid encounter with the spreader disk, 24:, and the part which encounters the spreader disk, encountering it obliquely, is further deflected, and deflected more widely than would be the case than with a jet delivered directly from the-nozzle without the centrifugal tendency due to the rotary movement of the stream in the flow passage back of the nozzle discharge.

Upon considering the construction as above described it will be seen that the water course through the entire discharge head comprising the whole structure which is pendant from the system Water delivery line, is without recesses or cavities of any form in which water can be trapped or pocketed, or in which sediment or scale can be accumulated and retained; but on the contrary the flow for discharge at the nozzle discharge is unavoidably continuousand continuously downward with respect to all material,liquid or solid,arriving at the valved entrance port of the discharge head from the system water delivery line; so that, due to the tendency of the device and the continuously downward course of the flow passage, when the water pressure is shut off, the entire discharge head is vacated and left clean and clear for re-setting.

It will be further understood upon considering the construction of the fitting, 11, into which at the lower side thereof the pendant discharge head is connected, that by reason of the inwardly protruding hollow boss into which and extending to the upper end of which the conduit element, 12, of the pendant discharge head is secured for positioning the ports, 12", at least as high as the upper end of the boss, no water can be trapped in the fitting, 11, above or back of the entrance port of the pendant discharge head conduit element: but. as all the water passing the port, 12", will be discharged from the discharge head when opened by fire heat, or accidentally, so with like certainty, all the water arriving through the system pipe line at the port, 12*, and not passing that port for discharge at the discharge nozzle, will be drained back through the system pipe line when the system is drained after service.

It will be further understood upon considering the construction of the fitting, 11, into which at the lower side thereof the pendant discharge head is connected, that by reason of the inwardly protruding hollow boss into which and to the other end of which the conduit element, 12, of the pendant discharge head is screwed for positioning the x g I port, 12", at least as high as the upper. end of the boss, there is prevented the possibility, when the system is reset and drained after operation for fire extinguishment, of water being trapped in the fitting, 11, above the port at which the valve is seated.

Upon considering the operation of the construction as shown in Figures 2 and 5, it will be seen that, in the absence of preventive means, upon the release of the valve, 18, whlch in the construction shown is effected by the displacement of the toggle, 21, 22, the valve'would drop onto the guide, 24, or in the absence of such guide, would drop to the discharge mouth of the nozzle. and in either case'would seriously obstruct the water discharge and impair the operation in respect to wide spread of the water. Such impair ment is avoided by providing means for stopplng the end of the valve stem, 20, said stop means being positioned for arresting the descent of the valve at a position at a substant1al distance above the guide, 24, and the nozzle mouth,

In the construction shown having the toggle arranged with the extremities ofthe toggle members in alignment with the valve stem, and the adjusting screw, 23, therefore, aligned with said stem. the adjusting screw is utilized as a stop for the valve stem onto which the valve stem drops when the toggle is displaced for releasing the valve; and this part, 23, is

' for this reason referred to as a stop and adjustingscrew. v

In Flgures 6 and 7 there is illustrated a modified form of the invention, the modification consisting in forming the discharge head valve, as seen at 88, with oblique flanges, 88, wh ch perform the function of the oblique flanges, 24, of the stem guide element, 24, of the form shown in the earlier figures, avoiding the necessity of any streamdeflecting means at the lower part of the flow passage of the conduit element. This makes it possible to dispense entirely with the stem guide disk, 24, by making the stem, 2213 shown in Figure 6, with three guide pins,

7 the conduit element.

I claim: I 1. A discharge head for a fire extinguishing system arranged to be mounted dependently from the water pipe of the system and comprisinga conduit element of substantial length having a valve-controlled inlet port at the upper end, and a continuously downward flow passage from end to end, and a downwardly opening discharge nozzle terminal at the lower end; an upwardly seating valve at the inlet port; a valve operating stem extending from connection with said inlet valve through the flow. passage and protruding from the nozzle discharge; a. stop member carried by the pipe element unobdimensioned for centering the stem in stop member at valve-seating position of the.

stem, whereby upon displacement of said interposed means the valve is released for opening under pressure in the system water 'plpe, and water flows in continuously downward course for'discharge at the nozzle, and an upwardly facing spreader "carried b the pipe element interposed in the path 0 discharge from the nozzle.

2. The construction defined in claim 1 having interiorly antecedent to the nozzle discharge, means for deflecting at least an outer part of the stream flowing through it obliquely with relation to the axis of the flow passage of the conduit; whereby the stream as a. whole acquires rotary movement'before itreaches the-nozzle discharge, causing the discharge to be centrifugal and therebywide-spread -as to the outer part of the stream, independently of the encounter of any part of the stream with the spreader disk.

3. The construction defined in claim 1, the conduit element having mounted therein antecedent to the nozzle discharge an apex; tured disk provided with flanges or vanes projecting obliquely from correspondrng sides of the respective apertures for divlding the flow into a plurality of obliquely trending streams, whereby the stream as a whole acquires a rotary movement prior to its discharge from the nozzle, causing the dischadrge to be centrifugal and thereby wides rea 4. Theconstruction defined in claim 1, the

interposed displaceable means comprising a temperature-responsive part, and constructed for displacement by the response of said part to fire heat in the vicinity.

5. The construction defined in claim 1 having a yoke member secured to the conduit element at the lower end of the latter and having its yoke spanning the end of the conduit element and the discharge nozzle terminal at a distance from the discharge renderin it'unobstructive of said discharge, said yo e member constituting the means for carrying the stop member.

6. A water discharge head for a fire extinguishing system comprising a pendantly mounted conduit element of substantial length extending between a valved inlet port at one end' and a valveless discharge port at the other end, a downwardly facing valve seat at the inlet port and an upwardly seating valve cooperating with said seat; a valve operating stem extending through the nozzle discharge for cooperating with the valve; a stop member carried by the pipe element unobstructin 1y with respect to the nozzle discharge and spaced downwardly therefrom in alignment with the protruding end of the stem at the position of said stem for holding the valve seated; a yoke member secured to the conduit element at the lower end of the latter and having its yoke spanning the end of the conduit element and the discharge nozzle terminal at a distance from the discharge rendering it unobstructive of said discharge;

said yoke member constituting the means for carrying the stop member, the stop member being adjustable in said yoke axially with respect to the flow passage of the conduit element for causing the stem to hold the valve securely seated.

7. The construction defined in claim 6, the valve being universally pivoted on the end of the stem for accommodating it to the valve seat with which it cooperates, one of said cooperating parts being furnished with a soft metal facing member adapted to be shaped to the valve and seat by the pressure which may be roduced by adjusting said stop member in t e yoke.

8. In construction defined in claim 6, the valve being universally pivoted on the end of the stem for accommodating it to the valve seat, and being furnished with a soft metal facing adapted to be shaped to the valve and seat by the pressure which may be produced by adjusting said stop member in the yoke.

In testimony whereof, I have hereunto set my hand at Chicago, Illinois, this second day of March, 1932.

EMIL TYDEN. 

